Fire and burglar alarm.



No. 832.227. PATENTED OCT. 2, 1906.

J. W. BAGGETT. FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM,

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20,1906.

l l l y z \I \I n T 6 [NI/ENTOR JOHN W. BAGGETT, OF ERIN, TENNESSEE.

FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1906.

Application filed January 20, 1906. Serial No. 296,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WV. BAGGETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erin, in the county of Houston and'State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Fire and Burglar Alarm, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fire and burglar alarms.

The object of my invention is to provide a combined fire and burglar alarm in which an alarm mechanism is released for ringing the gong when any of the cords are burned by fire or broken by the engagement thereof by a burglar and in which said mechanism is in closed in a box, the said alarm mechanism releasing a catch, whereby the door is automatically thrown open and the interior thereof may beinspected, so as to detect at which part of the house the trouble is located.

Another object of my invention is to provide a more simple, durable, and effective spring-operated mechanism for releasing the alarm mechanism and setting the gong ringing than in devices of this character now in use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a box composing my device, in which the gong and the releasing mechanism is supported. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken 011 the line :1: a of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 1 y of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents a box or housing which is placed at any desired part of the house, but preferably in that part mostly occupied, so that when the gong sounds the occupant will readily hear the same. The fusible strings or wires lead from all parts of the house to said box, and any desired number of said strings or wires may be used; but it is understood that there would be a separate cord or string for each window or door. The said box or housing is provided with a hinged cover 2, which is adapted to close the box and protect it against dust and other exposure. The front or side wall 3 of the box or housing is provided with a series of inwardly-extending springarrns 4, said arms being secured to the side adjacent the rear of the box and the said spring-arms being normally in an inward position. The outer ends of said arms 4 are provided with openings 5, to which are attached the fusible cords 6, which extend outwardly through the openings 7 in the side wall 3 of the housing and extend to the different parts of the house, it being understood that a separate cord 6 is attached to each spring-arm. The said arms, as shown, are ten in number, and the edge of the housing opposite the said arms is provided with numerals 7, reading consecutively from one to ten, each numeral representing an arm and the cord leading from said arms to a certain room of the house, so that when the gong has been sounded and the cover is opened it can readily be detected which arm has been sprung, and by reference to the numeral opposite the same it can be easily seen at which part of the house the break hasoccurred.

The back of the housing is provided with an alarm mechanism 8, which operates a clapper 9 and strikes the gong 10, which produces the ringing sound. The construction of said alarm mechanism may be of any desired character, but necessarily provided with a main winding-shaft 11, which is provided with a key 12 for winding the said alarm mechanism. The said alarm mechanism necessarily has a speed-escapement 13, which is of an elon ated form and provided with an outwardlyent hooked end 14 and adapted to be engaged by a looped member 15 and held so that the alarm mechanism cannot operate the clapper for sounding the gong. The said hooked or looped member 15 is of an elongated form with the vertically-disposed portion extending the entire length of the box or housing and is also provided with inwardly-turned ends 16 and 17, which are pivotally mounted in the ends 18 and 19 of the housing, and, as shown, the said member 15 extends along parallel with the row of spring-arms and is normally held in said position by a spring 20, Which bears against the inner face thereof. When said member 15 is held in the position shown in Fig. 1 in full lines, the inner end of the cen trally-located loop 21 is in engagement with the-hooked end 14 of the escapement, and the alarm mechanism is held locked.

The spring-arms 4, as before described, are or have a tendency to spring inwardly and engage the rocking member 22 and throw the same downwardly, causing the loop 21 to move from under the hook 14 of the escapement-lever and out of the path of reciprocation thereof, and thus allow the alarm mechanism to operate the clapper for sounding the gong. The cords 6, leading to the different rooms, doors, or windows, as before described, are each provided with a spring 23, which is of greater strength than that of the spring-arms 4, and thus allows of any slight variations in the length of the string from the housing to the window or door to which the alarm is to be attached, and the springs normally hold the arms in their outward posij tion, so that the loop is in engagement with the escapement-lever and the alarm mechanism locked.

The housing, as before described, is provided with a hinged cover or door, and in order to provide means whereby the said door is automatically released when the alarm mechanism is released I provide a spring 24, which has a tendency to normally hold the door open, and said spring compressed when the door is closed and latched. The door 2, as shown, is provided with a hooked'member 25, which is adapted to be engaged by the end 26 of the oscillating bar or rod 27. The inner end 28 of said rod extends inwardly adjacent the main windingshaft 11 of the alarm mechanism and is pro vided with an enlarged flattened end 29 adjacent said shaft and a spring 30 for holding the same against said main winding-shaft. The said shaft is provided with an outwardlyeXtending stud 31, which is adapted to engage the said enlarged flattened end and force the same outwardly, and thus throw the end 26 from under the catch 25, carried by the door, releasing the same, and the spring will then throw the door open, so that it can be readily seen which spring-arm has released the mechanism, whereby it may be determined at what part of the house the break has occurred. The upper face of the flattened end 29 of the rod 27 is provided with a beveled portion 32, which allows the stud 31 to force the said flattened end downwardly during its rotation while winding the alarm mechanism.

In order to see the spring-arms in the dark, and thus detect at what part of the house the break has occurred, I use an electrical flash light 33, which isadapted to be operated. by the alarm mechanism. The said flashlight may be of any desired structure, but preferably of the ordinary pocket form, and is placed or supported by any desired means adjacent the main winding-shaft 11 with a push-button 34 of the flashlight adjoining said shaft. The said shaft 11 is provided with a cam 35, and it will be seen that when the alarm mechanism is started, as heretofore described, the main shaft 11 rotates, thus causing the cam 35 to engage the pushbutton 34 of the flashlight and flash the same and reveal the numbers opposite the spring arms.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An alarm of the character described, comprising a housing, a swinging door closing said housing, a gong and an alarm mechanism adapted to operate said gong within the housing, an escapement mechanism and an oscillating bar engaging same, means for oscillating said bar, a catch holding said door closed and means operated by the alarm mechanism for releasing said catch when the alarm is set in operation.

2. An alarm of the character described comprising a housing, a swinging door closing said housing, a spring normally holding said door open, and a gong and alarm mechanism adapted to operate the gong within the housing, escapement mechanism for the alarm mechanism and means for holding same, a catch holding the door closed against the tension of the spring, and a lever operated by the alarm mechanism for releasing said catch, whereby the door is automatic ally opened when the alarm mechanism is set in operation.

3. An alarm of the character described comprising a housing, a gong and an alarm mechanism adapted to operate same, an escapement mechanism having a hooked outer end, an oscillating bar adjacent to said alarm mechanism and having a loop intermediate of its ends and through which the hook of the escapement-lever passes, means for normally holding said oscillating bar in said position, spring-arms adjacent to said oscillating bar and having cords secured thereto and normally holding said arms out of engagement with the said oscillating bar.

4. An alarm of the character described comprising a housing, a swinging door closing said housing, a gong and an alarm mechanism adapted to operate saidgong within the housing, an escapement -lever in said alarm mechanism having a hooked outer end, an oscillating bar adapted to directly engage the hook of the escapement-lever, means for normally holding the said bar and hook in the interlocked position, spring arms normally engaging the oscillating bar, but held out of engagement therewith by cords attached to their outer ends, a spring normally holding said springing door open, a catch for holding said door closed against the tension of the spring, a lever connected to said catch and extending adjacent to the alarm mechanism, whereby the catch for holding the door is released when the oscillating bar is swung from under the hooked end of the escapement-lever.

5. An alarm of the character described comprising a housing, a gong and an alarm mechanism carried by the housing for ringing the gong, a series of spring-arms adapted In testimony whereof I have signed my to independently release said alarm mechanname to the specification in the presence of ism, said alarm mechanism having a main tWo subscribing Witnesses.

Winding-shaft, a cam carried by said shaft, JOHN W. BAGGETT. and an electric flashlight having a push-but- Witnesses:

ton in the path of said cam, whereby the box A. B. KIRK,

is lighted. G. E. KANNARD. 

